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July Herdsire 2007 Issue
Know what will pass
by Kade Hummel
Well, after all the miles and sales are behind us, it’s time to think of something to write for this issue.
We three NSR fieldmen get to see many pig sales in the spring, but what I like about late winter and early spring is all of the shows I attend.
This is the time I get to see a lot of the pigs that we helped sell in the fall, and it makes the thought of standing on my feet for 12 to 13 hours a day at the NSR Fall Classic in Duncan, Okla., worthwhile.
Breeders bring their pigs from near and far to compete with fellow breeders for sale order and to see who will buy their stock. Some gilts will be sold to juniors – either 4-H or FFA members – and they will make nice projects. And, quite a few of these gilts will be shown in some of the biggest show rings across the country.
Many shows require pedigrees on gilts, and Ralph and I get to check them in. This is a fun job most of the time, until we run into problems.
Let’s discuss these problems. Some can be fixed before the pigs step off the trailers at the show.
Most breeders know the registration requirements for Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace and Yorkshire pigs. So, why do some still sell gilts that won’t pass breed-eligibility checks at shows?
We all should take responsibility in helping kids get the gilts that can show.
The worst part of my job is telling a junior member that he can’t show because of something that he doesn’t understand. Then, I have to tell the family or the teacher that this young person can’t show. They don’t understand either, because they have a pedigree from the breeder for the gilt.
Let’s keep the gilts that shouldn’t be shown as breeding gilts out of the show ring. A quick review of the NSR registration and breed-marking rules might help us achieve that.
Hampshire is the tricky breed to remember with the off belts and short underlines. A breeding gilt must be black with a white belt totally encircling her body, including both front legs and feet. She can have white on her nose, as long as it doesn’t break the rim of her nose, and when her mouth is closed, the white under her chin can’t exceed what a U.S.-minted quarter will cover. White is allowed on her rear leg, as long as it doesn’t extend above her tuber calis bone – or the knob of her hock. She must also have at least six functional udder sections on each side of her underline.
A Duroc gilt must have medium-sized, down ears. She may have no more than three black spots on her skin, and none of them can be larger than 2 inches in diameter. She can’t have any white or black hair and must show no shading or indication of a belt. She also must have at least six functional teats on both sides of her underline.
A Yorkshire gilt must have no hair color other than white, and she must have erect ears. She must not have more than two pigmentation spots larger than a U.S.-minted dime and one pigmentation spot larger than a U.S.-minted quarter. These spots combined can’t exceed a U.S.-minted silver dollar. She must have six functional teats on both sides of her underline, too.
A Landrace gilt must have down ears and no hair color other than white. She can’t have more than three pigmentation spots, and she may not have any spot larger than one U.S.-minted quarter. She also must have six functional teats on both sides of her underline.
All four breeds must be stress negative, have no evidence of an extra dew claw and be ear notched within seven days of birth.
If you take money for the sale of pedigreed gilts, you must make sure they are eligible to show, and you must transfer the pedigrees in a timely fashion.
This might not sound like a big deal. But, after you tell your first junior exhibitor that he can’t show because his gilt doesn’t meet her registration requirements or has an invalid pedigree, you will see how big of a deal it is. It’s not a good feeling, and it’s never easy. Let’s do our best to give every exhibitor the opportunity to show their gilts.
